RIP Ross

Ross was a close friend for my entire life, my soul brother. We attended school together, were housemates  in college, and survived many presidents and several marriages. He died a few months ago after declining health slowed him and impeded our conversations. I miss those talks very much. The final sale of his property marks the end of my executor functions. Soon we will mount his headstone and say goodbye. I could use his moral support now. May he rest in peace.

My India trip cancelled

 due to health issues 

A fascinating interview on AI

 This might interest Cory Doctorow and Bruce Kunkel…

Finally I am going to India

 I look forward to participating in the Footsteps of Buddha pilgrimage.

My 1974 social media system updated

 Lee Felsenstein built the social media platform that resided in part in my communal home in the early Seventies, Community Memory. He posts on substack. He still writes  about what social media could be. Kudos to him.

. Read 

Paris or Lisbon?

 

This event might tip my hand from Lisbon to Paris for my upcoming trip:

https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/program/calendar/event/bdP9GtP

Rushdie

 I know Salman Rushdie through his interviews and have yet to read his books. After all the talks I always intend to read them. Same goes for this one. Worth listening to on its own though.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/26/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-salman-rushdie.html

Techbro End Times ideology

 I have followed the evolution of this line of thought for decades. The Right embracing the oligarchs of the dystopian cyberpunk genre.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/apr/13/end-times-fascism-far-right-trump-musk

Johnny Stinkbridge reviews a punk rock show

 My old school punk rock friend Johnny has entered the realm of journalism now. He always brings his enthusiasm and passion for the genre to the table, with good results. Nice punchy writing!

https://www.inspitemagazine.com/in-spite-articles/punks/not/dead

My Reich

I visit this obscure corner of the internet less frequently these days. My focus has shifted to my Buddhist path and how to handle life in an authoritarian regime. Nonetheless I am nostalgic about this place in my old age. Here in this post and the following one I share a couple of things that resonate with my past life experiences.

As a kid I played percussion in the school orchestra and the marching band. I harbor an affinity with rhythm in music to this day. One of my favorite musicians is Steve Reich. I think the following interview serves him well. Check it out:

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/14/nx-s1-5319902/steve-reich-interview-collected-works

My Buddhist pilgrimage

 I am writing this post in Bangkok, Thailand after two weeks in Bhutan, the Vajrayana Buddhist country. I was one of two dozen on this pilgrimage, led by two American lamas. This was the most memorable and spiritually profound experience of my life. It increased my conviction to devote the core of my life to meditation and study of Buddhism as I adjust to Sara’s passing and my retirement. How amazing to experience a genuine culture steeped in Buddhism and in the company of deep practitioners!

Onward…

1974: my commune had a terminal+social media

 Lee Felsenstein made this possible. He just published a book about his life:

Me and My Big Ideas: Counterculture, Social Media, and the Future

Here is a great interview:

https://magazine.mindplex.ai/lee-felsenstein-who-started-the-digital-revolution-im-exaggerating-a-little-declares-the-golden-age-of-engineering/

Greece music tour finale: charmolypi

 

-bittersweet-feelings-mixture

Greece music tour

 Enjoying a couple of weeks in Greece and attending 11 concerts of world class music! Great people, food and musicians…

Study Project 2025 with an AI assistant

 https://www.25and.me/

The best article on techbro authoritarianism

 Good overview and analysis, good references to follow up on.

The oligarchs are running the asylum

As someone (over)active on the Net since ARPAnet in the mid-Seventies, I know these guys and these ideologies. I tasted their words and thoughts and banged heads with them. Beware. Be very wary. I and some friends have paid a price.

On Usenet in the Nineties I argued with someone who proposed a mechanism to financially reward those who assassinate government employees because they are “agents of the State”. This was prior to the blockchain and bitcoin, but what was proposed would work well now that these exist.

Know that a lot of thought over decades created the mileau that JD Vance rises from. He is a hothouse flower purpose-built for a takeover in the aftermath of the bulldozer that is Trump. Do not mistake him as just an awkward nerd. He embodies the adage “put all the wood behind one arrowhead.” Bathing him with billions of dollars and propping him up with the long term organization of the Heritage Foundation, et al creates something never before seen in human history.

Retirement and pilgrimage

 As I approach the end of my last job as a bit player in the tech industry, I have a lot on my mind. The next step is very close. I missed joining a deep and profound Buddhist study group that began two years ago so I could care for Sara. However, next month I start in another one, comprised of students of Pema Chodron. Beyond that, in October I leave for a pilgrimage to Bhutan and to visit friends in Thailand and Japan, probably our last in person meeting. I will be gone for two months.

More is in the works starting in 2025.

How I am doing now

 I want to thank everyone for the many expressions of support, loving kindness, and concern for me since the passing of my wife Sara Slager last Saturday. These mean a lot to me and help me in my journey. For the record, I am doing better than expected, considering the situation. I know that Sara was concerned about me and my reaction to her passing and that this weighed on her in her last days. I hope that she can see what is happening and gets some relief. I hope that all of you feel some relief.

Thanks again to all of you who responded.

All my love,

David E. Anderson

RIP Sara Slager, love of my life

 It is 1AM in Santa Rosa now. The love of my life, Sara, has passed away. Sara was my soulmate and will remain special in my heart forever. During the year since she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, we grew closer than we had ever imagined possible. Our gratitude for this is enormous. Your love and support as members of her community of family and friends has made a large impact on this journey, so Sara and I thank you with all our hearts. I feel her presence and love holding me now as I write this. I am the luckiest man in the world to have shared these twenty two years with you, Sara. I owe you everything and more, as my greatest teacher. May your journey go well.

All my love,

David

Liza’s brother

 I recently introduced my online friend Liza May as “a writer” who I met via dance. I was right. My brother Jefferson